Transport fares have gone up in Chittagong following the government’s latest fuel price hike, with commuters also facing a shortage of buses and human haulers on major city routes.
Minimum bus fares have increased by Tk3 to Tk10 and minibus fares by Tk3 to Tk8. On the Dhaka-Chittagong route, fares have risen by up to Tk100.
The fare hike officially applies to diesel-run public transport. However, passengers said fares for CNG-run minibuses and tempos on city Route 3 had also increased by Tk2, from Tk5 to Tk7.
The higher fares came as commuters struggled to find public transport. Large crowds were seen waiting at Muradpur, Bahaddarhat, Sholoshahar, Gate No 2, GEC and Agrabad on Thursday.
At around 9am in Muradpur, scores of passengers waited along the roadside. Whenever a bus or human hauler arrived, passengers rushed to board. Many could not get on as the vehicles were already packed.
Nurul Islam, who was waiting to travel to Agrabad, said he had already spent around 30 minutes waiting. “There are not enough public transport vehicles. The ones that are coming are overcrowded, so I cannot get on,” he said.
Mohammad Musa, another passenger, said the transport shortage had persisted since morning, while operators were charging higher fares, citing increased fuel prices.
Passengers travelling from Muradpur to the Kotwali intersection have been particularly affected. Apart from maxi services, few public transport vehicles operate on the route.
Belayet Hossain Belal, president of the Chittagong Metropolitan Transport Owners’ Group, said around 70% of public transport vehicles operating in the city were used to carry workers to industrial establishments.
“As a result, commuters face a shortage of public transport during office hours in the morning and afternoon,” he said. The issue had been raised several times with the authorities, but no solution had been found, he added.
Shahidul Islam, vice-president of the group, said no fare increase had been made for CNG-run public transport. The city has around 1,300 buses on 18 routes and 1,800-1,900 human haulers on 22 routes, according to him.
Meanwhile, fares on the Dhaka-Chittagong route have also increased. A bus fare that was previously Tk700 is now Tk800 on some services.
Kafil Uddin, general secretary of the Inter-District Bus Owners’ Association, said fares had been increased because of higher fuel costs. Some services were charging Tk758, compared with Tk700 previously, he added.
The government recently announced a Tk20-per-litre increase in the prices of diesel, kerosene, octane and petrol.
